Review: 'Prejudice and Pride' by Lynn Messina (2015)

You know Darcy: rich, proud, standoffish, disapproving, one of the greatest romantic heroes of all time. But you don't know this Darcy because THIS Darcy is a woman. 
In PREJUDICE & PRIDE, Lynn Messina’s modern retelling with a gender-bendy twist, everything is vaguely familiar and yet wholly new. Bingley is here, in the form of Charlotte "Bingley" Bingston, an heiress staying at the Netherfield hotel on Central Park, as is Longbourn, transformed from an ancestral home into a perennially cash-strapped art museum on the edge of the city. Naturally, it employs an audacious fundraiser with an amused glint in his eye called Bennet. 
All the favorite characters are present and cleverly updated: Providing the cringe-worthy bon mots is Mr. Meryton, the nerve-wracked executive director of the Longbourn who’s always on the lookout for heiresses to join his museum’s very important committees. (Universally acknowledged truth: Any woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a social committee to chair.) Collin Parsons is still in obsequious, if ironic, awe of his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The wicked Georgia Wickham toils as a graphic designer at Redcoat Design by day and schemes against Darcy by night.
Ever since I first read 'Pride and Prejudice' when I was a teenager, I've been a big fan of Jane Austen and almost anything connected to her in one way or another. I love checking out adaptations of her novels, whatever kind they may be: modern-day retellings, from the point of view of another character, an important change of events, featuring vampires and/or zombies (yes, even those!). So, when I found Lynn Messina's 'Prejudice and Pride' on NetGalley, I straight away requested the novel and luckily got approved! I actually already read 'Little Vampire Women', the author's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel 'Little Women', so I was really curious to see what she had decided to do with this particular classic!
Brothers Bennet and John Bethle both live in New York City and work at the Longbourn Collection, a relatively small art museum in the city. Their boss Mr. Meryton is always on the look-out for people to help fund the museum, including young and rich socialites who can organise events and help spread the word. So when heiress Charlotte Bingston, known to her friends as Bingley, comes to town, Mr. Meryton is set on John and Bennet charming her to invest some of her money in the museum. However, Charlotte's best friend Darcy Fitzwilliam isn't amused by the brothers and particularly their boss, and their acquaintance leads to quite a bit more than both parties initially expected...
As a big Jane Austen fan I was really curious to check out Lynn Messina's 'Prejudice and Pride', which is not only a modern-day retelling of Austen's classic novel set in New York City, but also one in which the genders are swapped. I loved looking for the differences and similarities with the original novel and discovering what the author had decided to change or even do completely different. We've got a male Elizabeth and a female Mr. Darcy in the form of Bennet and Darcy, which I thought was great. I also loved what the author decided to do with Mrs. Bennet in the form of Mr. Meryton, younger brother Lydon as the infamous Lydia, and Darcy's gay cousin Collin, who was quite fabulous and a great new interpretation of the character in my opinion!
I do have to admit I missed the sparks between Darcy and Bennet; the chemistry between the two of them unfortunately wasn't really there for me, which is quite an important aspect of this romance story. In some instances the author also decided to use specific Jane Austen quotes/language which just didn't really fit in with the modern-day setting and feel of the story. However, don't get me wrong, I did really enjoy this Austen adaptation and my first gender-swap retelling and definitely recommend it to any Austen fans out there. 'Prejudice and Pride' is a fascinating and original retelling of Jane Austen's most famous novel; a thoroughly enjoyable read and new take on this classic romance that fits the modern day and age.

Rating:8/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'Holidays at Pemberley' by Alexa Adams (2013)

Both a Christmas celebration and conclusion to Tales of Less Pride & Prejudice, Holidays at Pemberley begins where First Impressions ends, with the marriage Fitzwilliam Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet, and spans the course of Second Glances to conclude their story. 
As the Darcys enjoy their first years of marriage, Charlotte Lucas is often invited to join them. Watching as the Bennet sisters, one by one, marry to both outrageous advantage and with great affection, her only ambition remains independence and respectability, stubbornly blind to the virtues of a love match. Miss Lucas thinks she has found an acceptable husband in David Westover, rector of Kympton and determined bachelor, but he remains oblivious to the implications of befriending a Miss Lucas. It may mean some heartbreak, but if Mrs. Darcy's pragmatic friend will only surrender to Cupid, she may find wild fantasies do come true, even for ladies dangerously close to thirty.
Last year I was lucky enough to be contacted by author Alexa Adams about possibly reading and reviewing her series of 3 books based on Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice.' As some of you might know by now, I'm a big fan of anything Jane Austen related, so I was really excited about reviewing Alexa's books. I ended up loving the first two parts of the series, but decided to save the third part for now, since it's set around Christmas time. I know some people can easily read Christmas novels all year round, but I do definitely prefer to sit down with a festive read in December. I had high hopes for this one, since it combines two of my favourite things: Jane Austen and Christmas, so I hoped the book would manage to reach my expectations!
'Holidays at Pemberley - A Tale of Less Pride and Prejudice Concludes' is, as the title already suggests, the concluding part of Alexa Adams' 'Tales of Less Pride and Prejudice' series, set during the holiday season. While the other two novels focused mainly on the Bennet sisters and their luck in romance, this book is mainly about one of the secondary characters in Austen's original novel, namely Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte's story differs tremendously from the original in this series, and in this part we get to see how everything will work out for her, while at the same time getting to know more about the married lives of Elizabeth and Jane, and of course the well-being of the other Bennet family members. 
What I loved most about the first two parts of this book series is how well author Alexa Adams manages to recreate Jane Austen's style and voice, while still adding her own personal touch to it all. Thankfully, this last part of the series did not disappoint and was a true joy to read, especially for an Austen fan like me. It took me a few pages to get back into the story, but as soon as I was once again fully immersed in the world of these characters, I simply didn't want to leave. Especially the festive setting of the story made it even more enjoyable; the descriptions of Pemberley at Christmas time immediately made me long for a Regency Christmas party at an amazing country estate! 
It was great to read more about Charlotte Lucas, who plays a significant but not really big role in Austen's original novel. I loved the alternative ending Alexa Adams came up with and it once again proved how fun and fascinating retellings of classic stories can be; I honestly loved it. I do recommend reading the other two parts of the series first, because I think that makes the reading experience much more enjoyable than reading this simply as a stand-alone. Overall, this series is a must-read for Austen fans with a fabulously festive story to end it all; one of my favourite retellings of 'Pride and Prejudice' I've had the joy of reading so far, and one that comes highly recommended! Rating:9/10   For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads   Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.